Chapter Three: Double Oh McGeek

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Chapter Summary: Something isn’t adding up for Special Agent McGee. After a weekend of contemplation, and self-evaluation, he decides that he needs to change, and that there’s something off with Gibbs’ story. So, using the skills he’s been taught by his now former co-worker, he decides to ferret out the truth. Enter Double Oh McGeek!

Chapter Three: Double Oh McGeek

Something was rotten in Denmark. Tim McGee recognized that he didn’t have either Gibbs’ or even Tony’s intuition, but he knew when something wasn’t quite what it seemed. Gibbs had informed them Friday that Tony quit without warning. He said that he wasn’t going to discuss it with them, but as far as he was concerned DiNozzo was an ungrateful child.

His boss then proceeded to rant that Tony didn’t understand the word loyalty, and he didn’t ever want to hear his name, again. Ziva had been amused and smug, as if she had known all along. Tim, however, had been more than a little confused at the abrupt shift in opinion. Not even 72 hours prior they’d been worried about Tony after the incident in the alley, and now he was persona non grata?

McGee recognized that he had been known to bitch about Tony, maybe more than he should. He had even on occasion listed Tony’s faults in a variety of orders, which over the weekend he came to regret. However, while Tony could be a child, he wasn’t ungrateful. Sometimes a little clueless, maybe, but never ungrateful. In fact, Tony was known to go overboard on the thanks for something that was just a small act of kindness. As for the loyalty part that was a complete joke.

Agents in NCIS had been calling Tony, Gibbs’ loyal St. Bernard for longer than Tim had even been on the team. If there was one thing that Anthony D DiNozzo, Jr. could NEVER be accused of, it was disloyalty. So, as much as it was painful for him to believe, he quickly came to grips with the understanding that Gibbs was lying.

He wasn’t just lying a little, he was lying about someone who had always been his staunchest supporter. It hadn’t been lost on Tim that, if Gibbs could turn on Tony, he would be able to turn on him even quicker.

Deciding that he needed to try and find out the truth, Tim took advantage of Gibbs’ absence, and headed down to see Abby. If anyone knew the truth, it would be her. Slipping off first to get a CafPow, Tim walked into the lab, and stopped next to where she was working on her computer.

“Timmy!” She greeted throwing her arms around his neck, before letting him go so that she could get to her addiction of choice. Biding his time, he waited her out listening to her replay of her weekend activities. When she finally wound down, Tim leaned a hip against the table so that he could watch her face. “I was wondering if you’d heard from Tony. I’m worried about him.”

“I haven’t talked to that big fat lying traitor, and I don’t plan on it either!” Abby shrieked, and turned to glare at him.

“What do you mean liar?” Tim asked frowning. While Tony could stretch the truth, he thought liar was a little harsh. Mentally, he added the word to the list of things that didn’t quite fit, like disloyal and ungrateful.

“He’s a big fat liar trying to turn this whole thing back on poor Gibbs! I haven’t talked to him, and I certainly don’t want to until he learns to tell the truth!”

Tim opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it frowning. If there was one thing Abby was really bad at, it was not telling the truth. In fact, she sucked at it on an epic level. He would never be able to explain what made him question her. Usually, he just left her to her bullshit excuses, and assumed that she had a good reason. This time though, he just… didn’t.

“If you didn’t talk to him, how do you know he’s lying about something? How do you know he’s trying to turn something on Gibbs?”

It didn’t really matter what came out of her mouth after that. The look of pure shock, followed immediately by the type of panic you felt after you got caught in a lie said it all.

“Are you questioning me, Timmy?” She screeched again, this time stomping her foot.

Frowning, Tim tilted his head to one side, feeling like he was just seeing her for the first time. Crossing his arms over his chest, he nodded. “Yes, actually, I am.”

The look of disbelief on her face said it all. She really would have been better off owning up to her lie at that point, but instead she decided to… well be Abby.

“Fine! I was trying to do a good thing for you, Timmy. I was trying to spare your feelings, because I know how much you look up to that lying bastard! See if I do anything nice for you again though! You’re gonna have to really make this up to me, Timmy. I am not sure I can forgive you for this so easily.”

Stomping her foot again, he watched her pace away before coming back to stand directly in his space. Unfortunately for her, Tim knew what this was. He’d known bullies his whole life.

“He made up some big fat huge lie about Gibbs! Can you believe it? We really didn’t know him at all, Timmy. All this time he’s been a big fat lying bastard! I am telling you right now, when he comes crawling back, I’m not just gonna forgive him! No sir!”

Tim was highly unimpressed by her delay tactics. “You’re stalling, Abby. What did he say? Tell me now, or I am telling everyone the truth about that last boyfriend that we had to supposedly rescue you from.”

This time when she screeched, Tim was pretty sure only dogs could actually hear the sound. “HOW DARE YOU!”

“Talk, Abby, right now. Or, I’m going to Gibbs and telling him what you did to that poor guy, and how everything you told him was a made up piece of bullshit.”

“FINE! I’m not forgiving you for this though, Timmy! You’ll regret this!”

“Less threatening, and more factual information, Sciuto. Your conversation with Tony. Now!” He watched half amused as she crossed her arms across her own chest, and tried to glare at him.

“He showed up at my door at like… ten o’clock at night telling a bunch of big fat lies, about Gibbs.”

“Come on, Sciuto, details. I am sure Gibbs will be really disappointed if he finds out that you’re the big fat liar.”

“OH! YOU!” Abby gritted her teeth and glared, but continued.

“He was crying and hysterical like a little crybaby. It was pathetic! He had some bullshit story about how he and Gibbs had been in some… relationship. Supposedly Gibbsy was cheating on him with Kate’s sister Rachel. He went to tell Gibbs that he loved him, and found the two of them together. I mean it’s obviously bullshit!

“First off, Gibbs isn’t even GAY. Second off, if he was going to break rule number 12 with anyone here it would OBVIOUSLY be me. I am his favorite after all. Thirdly, how pathetic is he. Crying like a little child! He obviously had some weird crush on Gibbs. Instead of keeping it to himself he made some inappropriate comment, and got shot down. He probably humiliated Gibbs in front of Rachel! OH! He better not have screwed things up for them!”

Tim blinked at the unexpected news, and took a moment to process that information. Unlike Abby, he was unwilling to just believe in Gibbs’ words. Especially since he already had determined that things weren’t adding up. As much as it was hard to imagine Gibbs with a guy, it would actually make sense.

There had been times over the last few years where Tony’s loyalty and need for Gibbs’ approval had been a little much… unless they were sleeping together. He would like to say that he was surprised by Abby’s jealousy, but he wasn’t. Sometimes he wondered if the woman had any idea what she wanted out of her life. The fact that she wanted Gibbs as both a father, and a sex partner really said it all. Daddy issues much, Abby? He thought to himself.

“So, Tony basically came to you when he was vulnerable. Instead of helping him, you yelled at him, probably made fun of him because he was crying, and threw him out of your apartment.” Tim summarized with disgust.

The clearer this picture became, the more Tim hated it. It also made him realize that he wouldn’t be able to sit on the fence on this one. There were just some things that he couldn’t tolerate, and bullies were one of them.

The sudden sharp pain in his arm brought him back to attention just in time to catch Abby’s fist before it connected to his arm again.

“If you hit me again, Ms. Sciuto, I’m reporting you.” Tim offered quietly. Taking advantage of her shock, he released her hand, and moved toward the doorway.

Pausing before leaving, Tim looked at her over his shoulder, and frowned. It was becoming very clear, that nothing was as it seemed, and never would be the same again.

“You’re not the person that I thought you were. I’m not sure you ever were. Don’t contact me for a while. I’m gonna take some time off. I have some things to think about.”

Walking out, Tim, decided that he wasn’t even going to bother going to Gibbs. He didn’t have many allies in the building outside of the team, but fortunately for him, one of his strongest was the director himself.

Using all the sneaky back ways that Tony had showed him over the years, Tim managed to get to Ducky unobserved. He decided to get a second opinion before he went to see the director. There was a part of Tim that was hoping Ducky would tell him that he was just imagining things. The bigger part was hoping the older man would tell him to follow his heart.

On his way to the morgue, Tim had gone over his friendship with Tony in his head. He realized that he hadn’t always been very good at it. Knowing what he did about the other man, he could only imagine where his head was at. To make himself an emotional target twice in one night, and get shot down both times was just… It pissed Tim off just thinking about it.

When he entered the morgue, the sound of the doors alerted the elderly ME, as always. Fortunately for Tim, there were no bodies on the tables, and the new assistant Max was nowhere to be seen. “Ahh, Timothy! It is very nice to see you. I do not believe that I have any bodies for your team though. May I be of some other assistance for you?”

“Hey, Duck. Umm, where is Max?” Tim asked half expecting the quirky man to appear out of thin air.

“Young Maxwell is in class today. Were you looking for him in particular, or can I be of assistance?” Ducky asked straightening sensing something was afoot.

“Actually, I came to see you. Could we ummm… Do you think we could go into your office though? It’s kinda personal, and I don’t want someone to overhear us on accident. Tim fidgeted getting a little nervous. He had gotten better about being confident, mostly, he realized thanks to Tony, but it still wasn’t his strong point.

“Of course, Timothy! Follow me if you will.”

Tim followed Ducky, then went in when the older man held the door for him shutting it once they were both inside. As they both took a seat, Tim could see the ME studying him, which was making him more nervous. He expected that he was waiting for him to start, but suddenly his mind had gone blank. Finally he just took a deep breath, and let the words tumble out.

“Ducky, I think Gibbs and Sciuto are lying about why Tony quit. Well, I mean Gibbs is lying. I am mostly fully sure that he is. Sciuto is being… well Sciuto and… I mean you know how she is about Gibbs. She just refuses to see his faults, and, while normally it’s cute, this time I think she took to too far. I mean…”

Tim stopped the verbal vomit spewing from his mouth thanks to his nerves, and Ducky sat back and frowned. “It sounds like you have worked yourself into quite a state, Timothy. Why don’t you start at the beginning, and let me see if I can decipher what is going on here.”

Nodding Tim took a deep breath starting with what he knew about Cade’s death and ending with the conversation he just had in Abby’s lab.

The longer Timothy talked, the more upset Ducky was becoming. It was quite clear that both Abigail and Jethro were telling tall tales, and besmirching poor young Anthony’s reputation. Why the very notion of Anthony being disloyal, ungrateful, or as Abigail said a big fat liar was ludicrous. While it was true Anthony could spin a tale, he would never do so when it came to someone’s sexual orientation. He absolutely would not make up a relationship that did not exist.

Ducky also was well aware of Jethro’s… little games. While he never said anything to him about them, Ducky certainly did not condone, or find it amusing what Jethro did with those young men’s feelings. Prior to this, as far as Ducky was aware, he had always at least kept his detestable liaisons out of the office. To bind young Anthony in his web like an unsuspecting fly was both intolerable, and repugnant. Anthony was an emotionally vulnerable young man who, thus far in his life, had suffered the misfortune of attracting people who simply did not have his best interests at heart. Ducky never imagined, though. that Jethro would be one of them.

He had always considered the man his friend, but that did not mean that he was blind to his ‘Second B is for Bastard’ reputation. Ducky just never considered all of the consequences of it, it seemed.

“Ducky?” Tim’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, and back to the present.

“My apologies, Timothy, I am afraid that I got caught up in my own thoughts. I suspect that you might have come to me at least in some part hoping that I would dissuade you of your suspicions. I am afraid though that I can do no such thing. I have been, embarrassingly now that I am aware of Anthony’s entanglement in the act, aware of Jethro’s… detestable bed games, if you will, with poor unsuspecting young men who are looking for something more. He is quite adept at finding the right young men to capture in his web of lies and games. Why it reminds me of the time that…”

“Ducky, you’re saying I am right? Gibbs is lying to everyone about Tony leaving?” He saw Tim’s fist clenched in anger as Ducky himself nodded with regret.

“Quite so, Timothy.” Ducky confirmed regretfully. “I realize that this is a surprise to you, but I feel honor bound to ask, what do you plan to do with your knowledge?”

Tim bit his lip, and thought again about everything he knew, as well as the plans that had been forming in his head. Even after a thorough re-evaluation, it just felt like the right thing to do.

“I am going to go up, and talk to Director Vance. I am gonna tell him what I know, and ask for some time off. Ducky, I… I don’t know that I can stay knowing this. I never thought I would not be at NCIS, but… I just…

“I can’t work for Gibbs knowing, or at least suspecting, what we do about the things he’s done. I will never respect him again. I think I’m gonna give Tony a few days. Then I’m gonna hunt him down, and let him know that I have his six. I can’t… I think I’m going to have to quit, Ducky.”

Ducky nodded sadly, completely understanding the younger man’s point of view. “Will you give Anthony my regrets please, Timothy? I can understand that he may not wish to speak to anyone here again, but if he chooses to at any point in the future… I will always have a place for him.”

“Of course, Ducky! I am sure that once things settle, you’ll be one of the first that he calls.”

The younger man left the office, and Ducky sat pulling the bottle out of his desk drawer. With a heavy heart he poured himself a finger. He could only hope that young Anthony would this time find people who truly appreciate him, and that his own previous inaction hadn’t cost him a friendship he valued dearly.

Stepping into the waiting area outside Vance’s office, Tim was quite proud of himself. Not only had he avoided Gibbs and Ziva, but he hadn’t seen anyone else along the way. He was also pretty sure that he avoided all, or at least. the majority of the cameras along the way. He felt like he was doing his friend an honor using the skills Tony taught him to do right by the former Senior Field Agent.

He wouldn’t put it past Abby to be tracking him. Stepping up to Cynthia’s desk, McGee tried not to let his nerves overtake him again. ‘Tony would do it for you, so suck it up McButtercup,’ he told himself sternly as he smiled at the overworked administrative assistant.

“Is Director Vance available, Cynthia? I need a moment of his time, and umm… I need Gibbs not to know just yet, please?” Cynthia was as unflappable as always and, with the exception of a raised eyebrow, simply called into her boss’ office to inform him that Tim was wanting to see him.

“He says that you can go right on in, Special Agent McGee. Good luck with whatever it is.” She offered kindly, and McGee smiled and nodded. Tony had always held the woman, who had survived longer than the last two directors, in high regard. Stepping up to the door, Tim took a deep breath before opening it, and walking in, shutting it firmly behind him.

“Agent McGee, this is a surprise.” Vance offered standing up behind his desk, and waved a hand to the chairs in front of it.

“Please, have a seat, and tell me what is on your mind.”

Nodding Tim sat, and tried not to fidget. He ran all the ways to handle this situation through his head on the way up. He went over everything he had learned, everything he had seen Tony do, and everything Tony had told him about confrontation. In the end he only really saw one way to go about this.

“This is about Tony, sir. I know that you don’t particularly like him, and to be frank sometimes you treat him like a dick. I need to know that you’ll listen though, because this is important.”

Tim saw the director’s mouth drop open, and the toothpick that he had between his lips dropped out to fall, most likely. onto the floor. He guessed that it was because the last person that the man ever expected to call him a dick was his handpicked perfect NCIS Agent. When the man nodded looking somewhat shocked, he proceeded with what he had to say.

“I don’t know what Tony told you about his resignation, and I don’t know what that boss of mine told you about it either. I figure though, if it is anything like what he told me, it’s a pack of lies. I think you need to know the truth. Because to be frank sir, it’s cost you not one agent, but two. This conversation is the last I will have with you as an employee of NCIS.”

Vance was pretty sure that he was in shock, or he was having some horrible nightmare. To be honest, he hadn’t been too awfully upset when he saw the resignation from DiNozzo Friday morning when he came in. Tom Morrow had been on him since he took over the director position to look deeper into DiNozzo. He kept insisting that he was doing both himself and the agency an injustice by simply following the fairytale that was Very Special Agent DiNozzo’s personnel file.

Until now, though, he hadn’t seen anything in the actions of his agent that told him Tom knew what he was talking about. Sighing, Vance swore inside of his head, knowing that he was going to have to call the man and apologize. Morrow was such a smug bastard with the ‘I told you so’ game.

“Would you tell me what is going on, Special Agent McGee? You are a valuable member of this agency, and I would hate to lose you. I am sure that we can work something out.”

“With all due respect, sir, there isn’t. I refuse to work for an agency that holds that bastard Gibbs in such high regard. Not only that, but I feel like I owe Tony too much for everything that he’s done for me and taught me, since I started on Gibbs’ team to remain here.

“Unlike the horrible things that Abby and Gibbs are saying about Tony, he’s the most loyal person that I know. I know sometimes my actions haven’t reflected it, but I know that I wouldn’t be here today without him. I wouldn’t have made it a week on Gibbs’ team if he hadn’t been there standing firmly between me and that… asshat.”

As he watched, Tim took a deep breath and then proceeded to tell the story of what he learned about why Tony quit. When he was done, the younger man just folded his hands together, and looked at him not speaking another word. He appeared much calmer than he had when he came in, and it was apparent that there would be no changing his mind.

Vance on the other hand felt like he had been run over by a truck. His most trusted Agent in Charge had violated the fraternization rule. Not because of a genuine romantic interest, but so that he could get a booty call. Because of it, he lost an agent that, according to Tom Morrow, was more valuable than anyone else NCIS employed in Anthony DiNozzo Jr,, and he was also losing his own ideal agent in Timothy McGee.

“To be honest, McGee, I don’t really know what to say right now. While I don’t like what happened, with DiNozzo no longer employed here, no matter what I wish otherwise, I’m not sure there is much I am going to be able to do. As the director of NCIS I would strongly urge you to reconsider leaving, and feel it my duty to tell you that no one else will appreciate your skills as much as I and NCIS do.

“The man in me however applauds you for sticking by your friend. It is rare in this world we live in, but especially in this town, and in the political atmosphere of our jobs, to see such commitment to loyalty. Tony is lucky to have a friend like you that is willing to take such a step into the unknown for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do.”

Tim shrugged and stood. “I’m the lucky one, Director Vance. Tony DiNozzo taught me everything that I know about loyalty, honesty, and standing by your friends even in the face of unquestionable evidence of wrongdoing. I haven’t, unfortunately, always reciprocated the trust and loyalty he’s shown me. I think it’s about damn time I change that.”

Leon couldn’t help but be moved. He knew that he was losing something valuable between these two fine young men. He would definitely be looking deeper into those files as Morrow suggested.

Standing he came around his desk to shake the younger man’s hand. “You have nothing but my highest regard, Tim. If anything changes, you will always have a place in this agency. If you talk to Tony, please let him know that I will be contacting him. I have some research to do first, but once that is done, I would like to talk to him. He has my word that I won’t ask him to come here.

“I’ll tell Gibbs you’re on assignment for me. It will give you some time to get settled before they come looking for you. Just leave your gun and badge with security after you clear your desk. I won’t disable them until you have time to clear out your things. I am sure you’re going to want to do so after hours.”

Tim nodded and shook the man’s hand. He was glad that he had done this. Now he was going use his stealth skills to get out of the building. He would return sometime over the next weekend to clear off his desk. No sense in prolonging the inevitable, but he wanted to give Tony time to get a plan together before the hyenas came for him.

He had no doubt that Gibbs and Abby would be out for blood once the truth all came out. When that happened, Tim was going to do his best to be right by Tony’s side.

3 thoughts on “Chapter Three: Double Oh McGeek”

Tim having his little epiphany in this is so great to read and I always want to punch Abby into next week. You’ve really written her at her worst but sadly it’s totally a plausible twist for her. Love it!